Automatic ice body makers



Sept. 25, 1962 c. A. BIRD, JR

AUTOMATIC ICE BODY MAKERS 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 1.7, 1959 mg Jr,

p 5, 1962 c. A. sum, JR 3,055,190

AUTOMATIC ICE BODY MAKERS Filed Aug. 17, 1959 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 IN V EN TOR.

Ciarence @fiz'rdg ij United States Patent 3,055,195 AUTOMA'IIQ ICE BODY MAKERS Clarence A. Bird, lira, South Bend, Ind, assignor to Whirlpool Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Filed Aug. 17, 1959, Ser. No. 834,659 6 (llairns. ill. 62353) This invention relates to ice body makers and in particular to ice body makers effecting automatic formation of ice bodies seriatim and delivery thereof to a storage means.

A conventional method of separating a formed ice body from the mold in which it is formed is to provide heat thereto during an ejection operation. This method requires a subsequent refreezing of the partially melted ice bodies and has the serious disadvantages of the need for auxiliary heating apparatus and the tendency of such ice bodies to freeze together in the storage means.

The instant invention comprehends an improved ice body maker providing for separation of the ice body from the mold without a partial melting thereof. The principal feature of the invention is the provision of a new and improved ice body maker wherein the mold means is mechanically stripped from the ice body during the ejection operation.

Another feature is the provision of such an ice body maker wherein the mold means is progressively stripped from the ice body during the ejection operation.

A further feature of the invention is the provision of an ice body maker having a side wall defining the lateral boundary of the mold space, an end wall extending across the lower end of the side wall and defining the bottom boundary of the mold space, means progressively flexing the end wall away from said space, and means progressively flexing the side wall away from said space.

Still another feature of the invention is the provision of such an ice body maker wherein the means progressively flexing the side wall is operated by the flexing of the end wall.

Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings. Of the draw- 1ngs:

FIGURE 1 is an elevation of an ice body maker embodying the invention, with portions of associated refrigerator structure shown fragmentarily and in section.

FIGURE 2 is a vertical section taken substantially along the line 2-2 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged fragmentary elevation of a switch control means of the ice body maker.

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary plan illustrating the mold construction.

FIGURE 5 is a vertical section taken substantially along the line 5-5 of FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary vertical section taken substantially along the line 66 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 7 is a view similar to that of FIGURE 6 but with the valve in an alternative position.

FIGURE 8 is a schematic electrical wiring diagram of the portion of the refrigerator circuit controlling the operation of the ice body maker.

In the illustrative embodiment of the invention as disclosed in the drawings, an ice body maker generally designated 15 is disposed within an insulating wall 11 of a household refrigerator to provide a plurality of ice bodies in series to a storage bin 12 carried adjacent the ice body maker 10 on a refrigerated shelf 13. Water is delivered to the ice body maker through a supply tube 14, an inlet housing 15 provided with a control valve 16, and a delivery tube 17 terminating above a mold 18 in which the ice bodies are formed. Ejection of an ice "ice body 10a from mold 18 and transfer thereof to storage bin 12 is accomplished automatically by an ejection mechanism 19 operated by the pressure of the supply water as controlled by valve 16.

Separation of the ice body from mold 18 is accom plished by a progressive stripping of the mold walls, side wall 20 and bottom wall 21, from the ice body formed therein. The stripping is accomplished mechanically without the application of heat to the ice body, whereby adhesion of the plurality of ice bodies delivered to storage bin 12 is effectively prevented.

More specifically, refrigerator wall 11 includes a metallic outer shell 22, a metallic inner liner 23, and intermediate insulation 24. As best seen in FIGURES l and 2, inlet housing 15 is secured to the top of inner liner 23 within insulation 24. The housing includes a base casting 25 and a cover casting 26 sealingly joined by a gasket 27 and secured by a plurality of bolts 28. Cover 26 is provided with a cylindrical valve chamber 29 in which valve 16 is disposed. Projecting outwardly from cover 26 adjacent chamber 29 is an exteriorly threaded cylindrical boss 30. One end of water supply tube 14 is connected to boss 30 by a connector 31 to deliver supply water through a passage 32 in the boss communicating with supply tube 14 and chamber 29.

Base 25 is provided with an upwardly opening recess 33 and cover 26 is provided with a corresponding downwardly opening recess 34 co-operatively defining a cavity 35. A diaphragm 36 is sealingly secured along its periphery 37 between the base and cover and extends transversely across cavity to divide the cavity into an upper portion 38 and a lower portion 39. The diaphragm 36 is biased upwardly by a spring 40 urging a head 41 of a plunger 42 upwardly thereagainst. The stem 43 of plunger 42 extends downwardly through a cylindrical boss 44 in base 25 extending downwardly through an opening 45 in inner liner 23.

A spring clip 46 is secured to the lower end 47 of stem 43. At a point spaced above lower end 47, the stem is provided with a notch 48 normally received within boss 44 but which, when the stem is moved sufficiently downwardly through boss 44, permits an arm 49 bearing against the stem and actuating a normally closed limit switch 50 to release the switch and permit it to open.

The vertical reciprocation of plunger stem 43- is caused by delivery of water under pressure to cavity portion 38 followed by release of the water therefrom. As best seen in FIGURES 2, 6 and 7, valve 16 controls the delivery of the water to cavity portion 38 through an inlet passage 51 and from the cavity portion 38 through an outlet passage 52 communicating between valve chamber 29 and cavity portion 38. Valve 16 comprises a cylindrical rod having a diameter slightly smaller than the diameter of the valve chamber 29 permitting ready longitudinal movement of the rod through the valve chamber. At a point spaced from its inner end, the rod is provided with a reduced diameter portion 53 and adjacent each of the opposite sides of the reduced portion the rod is provided with a pair of spaced annular seals '54. As shown in FIGURE 1, a solenoid 55 is secured to inlet housing 15, valve rod 16 comprises the armature of the solenoid and is electromagnetically urged to the position of FIGURE 6 when the solenoid is energized. In this position, supply passage 32 is in communication with cavity inlet passage 51 to provide water under pressure to upper cavity portion 38 and, thereby, urge diaphragm 36 downwardly against spring 40. When solenoid 55 is deenergized, valve rod 16 moves to the position of FIGURE 7 wherein a delivery passage 56 leading from the bottom of valve chamber 29 to delivery tube 17 is in communication with cavity outlet passage 52. This permits spring 3 40 to move diaphragm 36 upwardly to the position of FIGURE 2 and effect delivery of that volume of water previously in upper cavity portion 38 through delivery passage 56 and delivery tube 17 to mold 18.

Referring now more specifically to FIGURES l, 2, 4 and 5, mold 18 is shown to be carried by a cast L-shaped base 57 herein shown in heat transfer association with refrigerated shelf 13. Side wall 20 comprises a split ring formed of a resilient material, such as spring steel. One end 58 of the side wall 20' is secured to base 57 by a support arm 59 and the opposite end 60 is provided with a short arm 61 extending parallel to arm 59 but terminating short of base 57. As best seen in FIGURE 4, side wall end 58 defines a vertically extending groove with which complementary side wall end 60 has sealing engagement. Bottom wall 21 of mold 18 is formed of a resilient material such as spring steel, and has its inner end 62 cast directly into base 57. As best seen in FIGURES 2 and 5, a tear-shaped cam pin 63 extends upwardly from bottom wall 21 adjacent inner end 62 thereof and between arms '59 and 61. The head 64 of cam pin 63 is substantially wider than the stem 65 thereof, thus, when cam pin 63 is moved downwardly through the space between arms 59 and 61, head 64 causes arms 59 and 61 to become progressively more widely spaced and thereby urge ends 58 and 60 of the mold side wall apart. A thermostat 66 is secured to the underside of bottom wall 21 for sensing the temperature within mold 18.

As shown in FIGURE 2, base 57 is provided with an upwardly projecting portion 67 engaged by the lower end 68 of clip 46 at the lowermost extreme of the travel of the clip. An indentation 69 in clip end 68 engages the outer end 70 of mold bottom wall 21 and causes the bottom wall to flex progressively downwardly to the dotted line position of FIGURE 2 as the clip moves downwardly to the lowermost position thereof. When the bottom wall has been fully flexed to this position, the ice body a has been stripped from the mold and is allowed to fall therefrom into bin 12. A normally closed limit switch 71 is mounted on shelf 13 below bin 12 to be opened by the weight of the filled bin when a predetermined amount of ice bodies is retained therein. As shown in FIGURE 8, switch 71 is connected in series with switch 50, thermostat 66 and solenoid 55 to a suitable power supply by leads L1 and L2.

The operation of ice body maker 10 is as follows. Assuming that the quantity of ice bodies in storage bin 12 is insufficient to open switch 71, the formation of an ice body 10a in mold 18 commences with the delivery of the predetermined volume of water from upper cavity portion 38 thereto. When the water in mold 18 has frozen, thermostat switch 66 closes. As both stem controlled switch 50 and bin controlled switch 71 in series with switch 66 are normally closed, solenoid 55 is energized and valve 16 is moved to the inner position of FIGURE 6 permitting Water to pass from water supply tube 14 into upper cavity portion 38. The water pressure in cavity portion 38 causes the diaphragm 36 to move downwardly against the action of spring 40. Plunger stem 43 moves downwardly through boss 44 and clip indentation 69 moves outer end 70 of mold bottom wall 21 downwardly. The resultant gradual flexing of bottom wall 21 causes a progressive stripping of the bottom wall from the ice body 10a in the mold. At the same time, head 64 of cam pin 63 moves downwardly between arms 59 and 61, causing ends 58 and 60 of the side wall to move away from each other and progressively strip side wall 20 from the ice body 10a. When clip 46 reaches its lowermost extreme position as shown in dotted lines in FIGURE 2, the mold walls have been completely stripped from the ice body 10a and the ice body falls freely into the storage bin 12. At this point, clipend 68 engages base portion 67 and is urged thereby away from bottom wall end 70 permitting the bottom wall to spring back to its normal position against the bottom surface of the mold side wall 20. This moves the cam pin head 64 upwardly through the space between arms 59 and 61 and permits the mold side wall 20 to return to its normal position wherein end 60 thereof is in sealing engagement with end 58.

When plunger stem 43 moves to the lowermost extreme position, notch 48 thereon moves into alignment with switch arm 49 thereby permitting switch 50 to open and break the circuit to solenoid 55. The de-energization of solenoid 55 causes valve rod 16 to move to its outer position (FIGURE 7) wherein outlet passage 52 and delivery passage 56 are in communication with each other through chamber 29 permitting the measured quantity of water in upper cavity portion 38 to pass therefrom, through outlet passage 52 and through delivery passage 56 and delivery tube 17 to mold 18 as a result of the upward displacement of diaphragm 36 by spring 40. As the water enters the mold 18, a layer of ice immediately forms around the periphery of side wall 20 adjacent bottom wall 21 to seal the mold walls and prevent leakage of water from the mold.

The movement of plunger stem 43 upwardly from the lowermost position of FIGURE 2 causes closing of switch 50. However, thermostat switch 66 is reopened at this time by the relatively warm water entering mold 18, thereby preventing a re-energization of solenoid 55. When plunger 42 is returned to its uppermost extreme position, as seen in full lines in FIGURE 2, clip indentation 69 re-engages outer end 70 of bottom wall 21 and ice body maker 10 is arranged for a subsequent similar cycle of ice body formation.

Whenever the weight of a newly delivered ice body to storage bin 12 is suflicient to make the gross weight thereof greater than the preselected weight which will actuate switch 71, the switch is opened, thereby preventing further operation of the ice body maker 10 until all or a portion of the ice bodies are removed from the storage bin.

While I have shown and described one embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that it is capable of many modifications. Changes, therefore, in the construction and arrangement may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

The embodiment of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed is defined as follows:

=1. An ice body maker comprising: a mold having a first wall defining a peripheral boundary of a mold space, and a second wall extending removably across one end of said first wall and defining an end boundary of the mold space; means for introducing a freezable liquid into said mold; means for refrigerating said mold to freeze said liquid into an ice body; means for moving said second wall away from said space and said first wall to remove said second wall from said ice body; and means for subsequently moving said first wall outwardly of said space to remove said first wall from said ice body.

2. The ice body maker of claim 1 wherein the second wall is pivotally associated with the first wall.

3. An ice body maker comprising: a mold having a side wall defining the lateral boundary of a mold space, and an end wall extending removably across the lower end of the side wall and defining a bottom of the mold space; means for introducing a freezable liquid into said mold; means for refrigerating said mold to freeze said liquid into an ice body; means for progressively moving said end wall away fro-m said space and said side wall beginning at one portion of said wall to remove said end wall from said ice body; and means for progressively moving said side wall away from said space beginning at one portion of said side wall to remove said side wall from said ice body.

4. The ice body maker of claim 3 wherein cam means are carried on said end wall and co-operating means are associated with said side wall for operation by the cam means to effect said movement of said side wall.

5. An ice body maker comprising: a mold having a side wall defining the lateral boundary of a mold space, and a resiliently flexible end wall in an initial position across the lower end of the side wall defining the bottom boundary of the mold space; means for progressively moving said end wall away from said space and said side wall beginning at one portion of said end wall to remove said end wall from said ice body; and means for progressively moving said side wall away from said space beginning at one portion of said side wall -to remove said side wall from said ice body, the resiliency of said end wall causing it to snap back to said initial position subsequent to the operation of said progressive moving means.

6. The ice body maker of claim 5 wherein the end wall comprises a resilient member fixedly associated at one portion with the mold, said means removably engages another portion of the end wall to urge it away from said space, and said means is arranged to release the end wall at a predetermined point in the movement of the end wall.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 559,788 Perrottet May 5, 1896 852,608 Mathews May 7, 1907 1,145,199 Mostizer July 13, 1915 1,948,146 Warren Feb. 20', 1934 2,026,227 Foraker Dec. 31, 1935 2,259,854 Langel Oct. 31, 1941 2,435,285 Lucia Feb. 3, 1948 2,723,534 Wilbushewich Nov. 15, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 815,694 Great Britain July 1, 1959 

